Preform supplying apparatus

ABSTRACT

A preform supplying apparatus of the invention includes an alignment guidance chute ( 80 ) having a guide member ( 83, 84 ) that slides a plurality of preforms (P) under their own weight by inclination and guides the preforms to a preform alignment conveyance unit ( 39 ), and the preform alignment conveyance unit ( 39 ) that conveys the preforms (P) guided from the alignment guidance chute ( 80 ) in an aligned state, and groove parts along an inclination direction are formed to the guide members ( 83, 84 ) and inner wall surfaces of the groove parts have shapes which causes the preforms (P) sliding down inside the groove parts to be aligned in a line.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a preform supplying apparatus includingan alignment guidance chute that aligns a plurality of preforms and alsoguides the preforms to a preform alignment conveyance unit.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, there is a preform supplying apparatus in which, in acontainer manufacturing factory, a drink factory, etc., a bottomedpreform of a PET raw material molded by an injection molding machine isaccommodated in a container for preform, and then the preformaccommodated in the container is taken out by means such as a beltconveyor and a supply posture of the preform is aligned and the preformis supplied to a blow molding machine in a single-line state by apreform alignment conveyance unit.

As one example of such a preform supplying apparatus, Patent Reference 1discloses an example in which a preform guidance shoot is providedbetween a belt conveyor and a preform alignment conveyance (see PatentReference 1).

PRIOR ART REFERENCE Patent Reference

Patent Reference 1: JP-Y-3131813

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems that the Invention is to Solve

The preform has a plurality of kinds of shapes according to use of acontainer formed after blow molding. For example, a narrow-mouthedpreform with an elongated cylindrical shape having a mouth partrelatively small with respect to a trunk is often used as a preformwhich is blow-molded into a drink bottle. On the other hand, a preformblow-molded into a container of food or cosmetics has various shapesand, for example, a wide-mouthed preform having a mouth part relativelylarge with respect to the trunk is used.

However, according to the preform guidance chute of Patent Reference 1,for narrow-mouthed preforms, the preforms can be aligned and guided tothe preform alignment conveyance unit while regulating flow postures ofmany preforms, but for wide-mouthed preforms, the center of gravity isin the vicinity of the center of the preform and it is difficult toregulate the flow posture, with the result that the preform may beguided to the vicinity of an inlet of the preform alignment conveyanceunit in a state of an overturned posture. In this case, the preform inthe overturned state is not guided to a gap between a pair of rollers ofthe preform alignment conveyance unit and accumulates in the vicinity ofthe near side of the rollers. When a large number of preforms accumulatein the middle of a conveyance path, it becomes necessary to stopoperation of the preform supplying apparatus and do work of removing theaccumulating preforms, which leads to deterioration in supplyefficiency.

The invention has been implemented in view of the problem describedabove, and an object of the invention is to provide a preform supplyingapparatus in which even for a wide-mouthed preform, the preform can beeffectively supplied to a machine for the next step such as a blowmolding machine in an aligned state.

Means for Solving the Problems

In order to achieve the object described above, a preform supplyingapparatus of the invention includes an alignment guidance chute having aguide member that slides a plurality of preforms under their own weightby inclination and guides the preforms to a preform alignment conveyanceunit, and the preform alignment conveyance unit that conveys thepreforms guided from the alignment guidance chute in an aligned state,and a groove part along an inclination direction is formed to the guidemember and an inner wall surface of the groove part has a shape whichcauses the preforms sliding down inside the groove part to be aligned ina line.

It is preferable that the shape of the inner wall surface of the groovepart is a semi-cylindrical shape.

It is preferable that the preform alignment conveyance unit has a pairof alignment rollers extending in parallel along a conveyance direction,and the pair of alignment rollers conveys a preform while supporting thepreform by pinching a trunk part of the preform guided from thealignment guidance chute.

It is preferable that the alignment guidance chute has a plate-shapedmember on which a preform slides down from a downstream side end of thegroove part toward the alignment rollers.

It is preferable that a fall chute, through which a preform conveyedfrom a container that stores a plurality of preforms falls and passes,is installed at an upper side of an upstream side end of the alignmentguidance chute, and the fall chute has a pin that collides with thepreform falling from an upper side.

It is preferable that the preform alignment conveyance unit has an airjet part that blows off a preform in a misaligned state to an outside ofa conveyance path of the preform alignment conveyance unit.

It is preferable that an impeller that bounces off at least two or morepreforms, which are conveyed while being stacked, to an upstream side isinstalled to a downstream side end of the preform alignment conveyanceunit, and the air jet part blows off the preforms bounced off by theimpeller to the outside of the conveyance path of the preform alignmentconveyance unit.

Advantage of the Invention

According to the preform supplying apparatus of the invention, since theplurality of preforms slide down while being aligned in a line along theinner wall surface of the groove part formed in the guide member, thepreforms hardly interfere with other preforms while sliding down. As aresult, the flow posture of the preform sliding down tends to be alignedin a state in which the bottom side (the gravity center side) of thepreform faces the downstream side. That is, the frequency at which thepreform sliding down is guided to the preform alignment conveyance unitin an overturned state is decreased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an external appearance of a preformsupplying apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a preform in an inverted posture.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a preform in an upright posture.

FIG. 4( a) is a plan view of an alignment guidance chute, and FIG. 4( b)is a sectional view taken on line A-A in FIG. 4( a), and FIG. 4( c) is aview showing a state in which a preform is placed on a groove part inFIG. 4( b).

FIG. 5( a) is a longitudinal sectional view of a fall chute, and FIG. 5(b) is a front view of a first orientation member, and FIG. 5( c) is afront view of a second orientation member.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a structure of apreform alignment conveyance unit.

FIG. 7 is a detailed front view showing a structure of an impeller.

FIG. 8 is a view showing arrangement of air jet units.

FIG. 9 is a plan view seeing a coupled state of the preform alignmentconveyance unit and the alignment guidance chute from the upward side.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a modified example of the alignment guidancechute.

FIG. 11 is a view showing another modified example of the alignmentguidance chute.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a modified example of a slide conveyor.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

One example of an embodiment of the invention will hereinafter bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a preform supplying apparatus13. As shown in FIG. 1, the preform supplying apparatus 13 includes apreform alignment conveyance unit 39 and an alignment guidance chute 80.Also, in order to more improve an alignment capability, a fall chute 90is further included. The preform supplying apparatus 13 is coupled to aninclined conveyor 57 for taking out preforms P stored in a container 62for preform, and supplies the preforms P conveyed from the inclinedconveyor 57 to a reversing apparatus RM while aligning the plurality ofmisaligned preforms P.

The preform alignment conveyance unit 39 includes an alignment path 41(one example of a conveyance path) inclined at a predeterminedinclination angle. The alignment path 41 includes an inlet end 42 and anoutlet end 43. The inlet end 42 is positioned at a position higher thanthe outlet end 43 in a direction of gravity. The plurality of preforms Psliding down from the alignment guidance chute 80 to the inlet end 42are supplied to the alignment path 41. In the alignment path 41, thepreforms P are aligned in a line in an upright posture. The preforms Pin the upright posture are discharged from the outlet end 43 one by one.

Since the preform P includes a mouth part 36 relatively large withrespect to a bottomed trunk 35 as shown in FIG. 2, the preform P can beself-supported in an inverted posture on a horizontal plane HR. Themouth part 36 is formed cylindrically. Screw threads are formed on anouter peripheral surface of the mouth part 36. The central axis 37 ofthe preform P, that is, the central axis 37 of the mouth part 36 isorthogonal to the horizontal plane HR. Moreover, since the height of thetrunk 35 is set relatively low with respect to the size of the mouthpart 36, the preform P becomes stable in the inverted posture.

On the other hand, since a bottom surface of the trunk 35 of the preformP has roundness as shown in FIG. 3, the preform P in an upright posturecannot be self-supported in an erected posture on the horizontal planeHR. That is, the preform P in the upright posture cannot be held on thehorizontal plane HR with the central axis 37 of the mouth part 36 beingorthogonal to the horizontal plane HR.

In the preform P, the so-called support ring, that is, a flange 38 isformed between the mouth part 36 and the trunk 35. The flange 38 extendsoutwardly along a plane orthogonal to the central axis 37 of the mouthpart 36. When the preform P is supported by horizontal planes SRseparated at a predetermined distance at the flange 38, the trunk 35 ofthe preform P is inserted between the mutual horizontal planes SR. Thecentral axis 37 of the mouth part 36 can be orthogonal to the horizontalplanes SR. Here, FIG. 3 shows an example in which the flange 38 has themaximum outside diameter of the preform P and also serves as a supportsurface, but as long as the preform P includes a surface capable ofbeing supported by the preform alignment conveyance unit 39, the preformP may have any shape. For example, the flange 38 may be lower than thescrew thread, the preform P may have the shape including a recessthinned to the center side between the screw thread and the trunk 35, orthe preform P may have the shape in which the flange 38 is formed to amouth part end upper than the screw thread. In addition, in the invertedposture, the mouth part 36 is opened downwardly. To the contrary, in theupright posture, the mouth part 36 is opened upwardly. Also, in thewide-mouthed preform P of the present example, a ratio (ratio of adiameter of the mouth part to the total length) of a mouth diameter tothe total length (length from the mouth part to the bottom part) becomesabout ½ or more, and is remarkably larger than a value of a normalnarrow-mouthed preform used in molding of a 500 ml bottle (for example,¼). Further, while the center of gravity of the narrow-mouthed preformis located nearer to the bottomed part side, that is, in a position awayfrom an end face of the mouth part, the center of gravity of thewide-mouthed preform P is located at almost the center position nearerto the end face of the mouth part. As a result, even when thewide-mouthed preform P is slid on an inclined surface simply, it isdifficult to align the wide-mouthed preform P in a posture in which thebottomed part is turned downwardly.

As shown in FIGS. 4( a) to 4(c), the alignment guidance chute 80includes a plate-shaped member 83 (one example of a guide member) madeof stainless steel having a substantially semi-cylindrical groove in thecenter, and a sheet member 84 (one example of a guide member) made ofTeflon (registered trademark) fixed on a surface (upper side surface) ofthe plate-shaped member 83 along a shape of the plate-shaped member 83by fixing members 86. As shown in FIG. 4( b), the plate-shaped member 83includes an inclined part 83 a inclined so as to become low toward thecenter of the plate-shaped member 83, and substantially asemi-cylindrical groove part 83 b. The sheet member 84 has an inclinedpart 84 a inclined so as to become low toward the center along theinclined part 83 a of the plate-shaped member 83, and a groove part 84 bwith a shape bent in a substantially semi-cylindrical shape downwardlyalong the groove part 83 b of the plate-shaped member 83. The fixingmembers 86 are rectangular plate-shaped members made of metal, and fixthe sheet member 84 so as to pinch the sheet member 84 between theplate-shaped member 83 and the fixing members 86.

FIG. 4( c) is a sectional view taken on line A-A in FIG. 4( a), andshows a state in which the preform P is placed on the sheet member 84. Awidth L of substantially the semi-cylindrical groove part 83 b formed inthe center of the plate-shaped member 83 is larger than the maximumoutside diameter of the preform P but is smaller than two times themaximum outside diameter. Consequently, the groove part 84 b of thesheet member 84 fixed along the shape of the plate-shaped member 83 alsohas a width substantially similar to that of the groove part 83 b of theplate-shaped member 83, and inside the groove part 84 b of the sheetmember 84, one preform P is received while having a slight gap (width ofthe extent to which two preforms P cannot flow in parallel) in bothsides. Numeral 85 shows a support member 85 for supporting the sheetmember 84 from the back side (surface which does not make contact withthe preform P) of the sheet member 84 through the plate-shaped member83.

The front surface (upper side surface) of the groove part 84 b of thesheet member 84 corresponds to an inner wall surface, and is a surfacemaking contact with the preform P sliding down to the downstream side.The alignment guidance chute 80 includes an inlet end 82 and an outletend 81, and the inlet end 82 is positioned at a position higher than theoutlet end 81 in a direction of gravity. That is, the alignment guidancechute 80 is inclined so as to become low toward the downstream side of aconveyance direction of the preform, and the groove part 84 b is formedalong an inclination direction.

Among the plurality of preforms P falling from the fall chute 90 on thealignment guidance chute 80, the preform P falling on the inclined part84 a of the sheet member 84 slides down toward the groove part 84 b ofthe sheet member 84 under its own weight. The preform P received in thegroove part 84 b slides down on the inner wall surface of the groovepart 84 b toward the outlet end 81 under its own weight. In this manner,the plurality of falling preforms P whose directions are misaligned arealigned in a line and also are guided to the preform alignmentconveyance unit 39.

FIG. 5( a) shows a longitudinal sectional view of the fall chute 90. Thefall chute 90 is installed at an upper side of the vicinity of theupstream side end (inlet end 82) of the alignment guidance chute 80 (seeFIG. 1). The fall chute 90 includes a box-shaped cabinet 90 a, a firstorientation member 92 and a second orientation member 93 that collideswith the preform P falling inside the cabinet 90 a. The cabinet 90 aincludes a first opening 91 formed in a side surface at the side of theinclined conveyor 57 in the cabinet 90 a, and a second opening 94 openedtoward the vicinity of the upstream side end of the alignment guidancechute 80.

FIG. 5( b) is a view (also called a front view) seeing the firstorientation member 92 in a direction of arrow X of FIG. 5( a). The firstorientation member 92 is constructed by combining a plurality resinpins, and has pins 92 c fixed and supported to the cabinet 90 a and aplurality orientation pins 92 a pivoted in a support pin 92 b. Theorientation pins 92 a of the plurality of pins are arranged on a fallpath of the preform P falling inside the cabinet 90 a. A spacing betweenthe plurality of orientation pins 92 a is set larger than the maximumoutside diameter of the preform P, and the preform P is prevented fromclogging inside the cabinet 90 a.

FIG. 5( c) is a view (also called a front view) seeing the secondorientation member 93 in the direction of arrow X of FIG. 5( a). Thesecond orientation member 93 is constructed by combining a pluralityresin pins, and has pins 93 c fixed and supported to the cabinet 90 aand a plurality of orientation pins 93 a pivoted in a support pin 93 b.

When the plurality of misaligned preforms P conveyed from the inclinedconveyor 57 pass through the inside of the cabinet 90 a of the fallchute 90, the preforms P fall while colliding with the orientation pins92 a, 93 a or other pins. In addition, since the first orientationmember 92 and the second orientation member 93 are formed so thatarrangement, a direction or the number of pins can be adjusted, thefirst orientation member 92 and the second orientation member 93 can beproperly changed according to the size, the shape of the preform P orthe amount of supply from the inclined conveyor 57.

Returning to FIG. 1, the inclined conveyor 57 includes a transport path58 inclined at a predetermined inclination angle. As the inclinationangle of the inclined conveyor 57 is larger with respect to the ground,an installation area of the inclined conveyor 57 becomes smaller. Thetransport path 58 is connected to the first opening 91 of the fall chute90 at an ending point 59. A starting point 61 of the transport path 58is coupled to the bottom of the container 62 for preform (one example ofa container). The plurality of preforms P are stored in the container 62for preform. The inclined conveyor 57 scoops up the preform P from thecontainer 62 for preform. The inclined conveyor 57 transports thepreform P from the container 62 for preform to the preform alignmentconveyance unit 39 through the fall chute 90 and the alignment guidancechute 80. Thus, according to combination of the inclined conveyor 57,the fall chute 90, the alignment guidance chute 80, the preformalignment conveyance unit 39 and the container 62 for preform, it isunnecessary to previously align the preforms P in a line by hand beforea blow molding machine of the next step. Accordingly, hand work isminimized and work efficiency is improved.

Next, a structure of the preform alignment conveyance unit 39 will bebriefly described with reference to FIG. 6. The preform alignmentconveyance unit 39 includes a pair of rollers 63 (one example of analignment roller). The rollers 63 extend in parallel mutually. The shaftcenter of the roller 63 is orthogonal to one common horizontal line. Agap is formed between the mutual rollers 63. The gap could be setsmaller than an outside diameter of the flange 38 of the preform P, thatis, the maximum outside diameter of the preform. In the embodiment, thegap is set so that the rollers 63 convey the preform P while pinching atrunk part of the preform P. As a result, even for the preform P withoutthe flange 38, the preform alignment conveyance unit 39 can performconveyance and alignment processing. That is, the rollers 63 are rotatedin opposite directions mutually around the shaft center. According tothe rotation, outer surfaces of the rollers 63 trace space of the gapupwardly. The rollers 63 form the alignment path 41 described above. Thepreform P gradually moves downwardly from the inlet end 42 to the outletend 43 of the alignment path 41 by action of gravity. A posture of thepreform P is changed by action of rotation of the rollers 63 during thedownward movement. Moreover, the preforms P are arranged in a linebetween the mutual rollers 63 since the gap between the rollers 63 isless than the size of one preform P.

The preform alignment conveyance unit 39 includes guide parts 64. Theguide parts 64 are arranged at an upper side of the rollers 63. Theguide part 64 has a guide surface 65 extending in parallel with theshaft center of the roller 63. A gap between the guide surfaces 65becomes gradually narrower as the guide surfaces 65 are nearer to therollers 63. The guide parts 64 guide the preform P toward the gapbetween the mutual rollers 63.

An impeller 66 is arranged at the front of the outlet end 43 of thealignment path 41. The impeller 66 is rotated around a horizontal shaft.The impeller 66 includes rotary vanes 67. The rotary vanes 67 are, forexample, equally spaced around the horizontal shaft. Here, for example,12 rotary vanes 67 are attached. The rotary vanes 67 are rotated so asto trace space of the gap between the mutual rollers 63 from thedownward side to the upward side.

Each of the rotary vanes 67 includes a vane body 68. The rotary vane 67is coupled to the horizontal shaft, that is, a rotary shaft in the vanebody 68. The vane body 68 extends along a virtual plane including oneradiation line of the rotary shaft. As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of rightand left first claw members 69 in front view is attached to the vanebody 68. The first claw members 69 may be fixed by, for example, screws.The first claw members 69 are spaced at a predetermined distance in ahorizontal direction. The first claw members 69 are mutually opposed atvertical surfaces 71. The vertical surface 71 is formed by a planeextending in parallel with the shaft center of the roller 63. A distancebetween the mutual vertical surfaces 71 is set in the size obtained byadding a predetermined gap to the maximum outside diameter of thepreform P. Consequently, when one preform P correctly enters the gapbetween the mutual rollers 63 in an upright posture, the preform P canpass through the portion between the first claw members 69.

In each of the rotary vanes 67, auxiliary claw members 72, whichrespectively correspond to the pair of first claw members 69, areattached to the pair of first claw members 69. The auxiliary clawmembers 72 may be fixed by, for example, screws. The tops of theauxiliary claw members 72 project from the corresponding verticalsurfaces 71 in mutually approaching directions. As shown in FIG. 7, thetops of the auxiliary claw members 72 are arranged outwardly from theoutline of the preform P correctly entering the gap between the mutualrollers 63 in the upright posture. Consequently, when one preform Pcorrectly enters the gap between the mutual rollers 63 in the uprightposture, the preform P can pass through the portion between theauxiliary claw members 72. On the other hand, the tops of the auxiliaryclaw members 72 abut on the outline of the preform P entering the gapbetween the mutual rollers 63 in an overturned posture, that is, thepreform P which is supported in the gap between the mutual rollers 63and in which the central axis 37 thereof is arranged in parallel withthe shaft center of the roller 63. Consequently, when the preform P issupported in the gap between the mutual rollers 63 in the overturnedattitude, the preform P is bounced up by the auxiliary claw members 72.The preform P is bounced up to the upstream side of the alignment path41.

In a particular rotary vane 67, one second claw member 73 is attached tothe vane body 68. The second claw member 73 may be fixed by, forexample, screws. The second claw member 73 is arranged between mutualvirtual vertical surfaces including the vertical surfaces 71. The secondclaw member 73 includes a pair of claws 74. The second claw member 73 isarranged outwardly from the outline of the preform P correctly enteringthe gap between the mutual rollers 63 in the upright posture.Consequently, when one preform P correctly enters the gap between themutual rollers 63 in the upright posture, the preform P can pass throughthe second claw member 73. On the other hand, the tops of the claws 74are arranged in a position colliding with the preforms P entering thegap between the mutual rollers 63 in a stacked state in the uprightposture. Consequently, even when the preform P is in the uprightposture, the preform P is bounced up by the claws 74 when two or morepreforms P are held in the gap between the mutual rollers 63 with thepreforms P being stacked. The second claw member 73 may be attached to,for example, all the rotary vanes 67, and may be, for example,alternately attached to only the particular rotary vanes 67.

When the preform P is held in the gap between the mutual rollers 63 in aposture other than the upright posture, the preform P is bounced up bythe rotary vane 67 of the impeller 66. The preform P is bounced up tothe upstream side of the alignment path 41. Even when the preform P isin the upright posture, the preform P is bounced up by the rotary vane67 of the impeller 66 when two or more preforms P are held in the gapbetween the mutual rollers 63 with the preforms P being stacked. Thus,the preform P is again exposed to action of the rollers 63. When onepreform P correctly enters the gap between the mutual rollers 63 in theupright posture, the preform P passes through the downward side of therotary vane 67. Contact between the rotary vane 67 and the preform P isavoided. The preform P can come to the outlet end 43 of the alignmentpath 41.

FIG. 8 is a view showing arrangement of a first air jet unit 100 (oneexample of an air jet part) and a second air jet unit 200 (one exampleof the air jet part), and is a partially enlarged view of the downstreamside end of the preform alignment conveyance unit 39. As shown in FIG.8, the first air jet unit 100 and the second air jet unit 200 areinstalled in front of the vicinity of the upstream side of the impeller66 of the preform alignment conveyance unit 39.

The first air jet unit 100 includes an optical sensor 100 a having alight emitting element (floodlighting element) and a light receivingelement as one example of a preform detection mechanism for detectingthe presence or absence of preform P, a reflective plate 100 b installedas opposed to the optical sensor 100 a with the alignment path 41located therebetween, and an air jet 100 c for jetting compressed airaccording to an output signal of the optical sensor 100 a.

The light emitting element of the optical sensor 100 a is for emittinglight horizontally toward the reflective plate 100 b, and is installedto the preform alignment conveyance unit 39 so that the light passesthrough the height high from the roller 63 by a predetermined distance.The reflective plate 100 b is for reflecting light emitted by the lightemitting element of the optical sensor 100 a toward the light receivingelement of the optical sensor 100 a. When the light emitted from thelight emitting element returns to the light receiving element throughthe reflective plate 100 b, the optical sensor 100 a does not output anoutput signal (command signal) in order to operate the air jet 100 c. Onthe other hand, when the light emitted from the light emitting elementis halfway blocked by an obstacle (for example, a mass of the pluralityof preforms P accumulating in a misaligned direction in front of thevicinity of the upstream side of the impeller 66, or the preform Pconveyed in a misaligned state, that is, so that the trunk 35 rolls onthe rollers 63 without being pinched between the rollers 63) and doesnot return to the light receiving element, the optical sensor 100 aoutputs an output signal (command signal) for operating the air jet 100c to the air jet 100 c. In addition, in a path through which the lightemitted by the light emitting element passes, the light passes through aposition higher than the highest end of the preform P conveyed by therollers 63 in the upright posture by a predetermined distance, and thepreform P conveyed in the upright posture is not detected by the opticalsensor 100 a.

Also, the second air jet unit 200 is installed at the upstream side by apredetermined distance beyond the first air jet unit 100, and includesan optical sensor 200 a having a light emitting element (floodlightingelement) and a light receiving element as one example of the preformdetection mechanism for detecting the presence or absence of the preformP, a reflective plate 200 b installed as opposed to the optical sensor200 a with the alignment path 41 located therebetween, and an air jet200 c for jetting compressed air according to an output signal of theoptical sensor 200 a.

The light emitting element of the optical sensor 200 a is for emittinglight horizontally toward the reflective plate 200 b, and is installedto the preform alignment conveyance unit 39 so that this light passesthrough the height high from the roller 63 by a predetermined distance.The reflective plate 200 b is for reflecting light emitted by the lightemitting element of the optical sensor 200 a toward the light receivingelement of the optical sensor 200 a. When the light emitted from thelight emitting element returns to the light receiving element throughthe reflective plate 200 b, the optical sensor 200 a does not output anoutput signal (command signal) in order to operate the air jet 200 c. Onthe other hand, when the light emitted from the light emitting elementis halfway blocked by an obstacle (for example, the preform bounced offby the impeller 66) and does not return to the light receiving element,the optical sensor 200 a outputs an output signal (command signal) foroperating the air jet 200 c to the air jet 200 c. In addition, in a paththrough which the light emitted by the light emitting element passes,the light passes through a position higher than the highest end of thepreform P conveyed by the rollers 63 in the upright posture by apredetermined distance, and the preform P conveyed in the uprightposture is not detected by the optical sensor 200 a.

As described above, for example, when one preform P correctly enters thegap between the mutual rollers 63 and is conveyed in the uprightposture, the optical sensor 100 a and the optical sensor 200 a do notdetect any preform, and the air jet 100 c and the air jet 200 c are notoperated.

Also, even when two preforms P are conveyed in the upright posture in astate in which the preforms P are tightly stacked in the same directionmutually (a fitted state which cannot be dissolved by the claws 74 ofthe impeller 66, and hereinafter, also referred to as a fitted statepreform P), the fitted state preform P passes through the downward sideof a path of light emitted by the optical sensor 100 a and the opticalsensor 200 a, and reaches the impeller 66. Then, the fitted statepreform P reaching the impeller 66 is bounced off toward the upward sideof the upstream side of the impeller 66 by the rotary vanes 67 of theimpeller 66. The fitted state preform P bounced off may pass through apath of light emitted by the light emitting element of the opticalsensor 200 a during the fall toward the alignment path 41. In this case,the optical sensor 200 a outputs an output signal to the air jet 200 c,and the air jet 200 c jets compressed air toward the fitted statepreform P being bounced off.

When the compressed air hits the fitted state preform P bounced off, thefitted state preform P is blown off toward an outlet guide member 150installed to the preform alignment conveyance unit 39, and is separatedfrom a conveyance path of the preform alignment conveyance unit 39.

When the compressed air does not hit the fitted state preform P bouncedoff, the fitted state preform P does not become a state pinched betweenthe rollers 63 in the upright posture, but is again conveyed toward thedownstream side in an overturned posture on the rollers 63. In thiscase, the preforms P accumulate in front of the vicinity of the upstreamside of the impeller 66. When the accumulating preforms P are left, theaccumulating preforms P become an obstacle to preforms P conveyed in astream. As a result, the plurality of preforms P accumulate in amountain shape in front of the vicinity of the impeller 66, and itbecomes necessary to once stop the preform supplying apparatus 13 and dowork of manually removing the preforms P accumulated in the mountainshape. However, in the embodiment, the first air jet unit 100 isinstalled in front of the vicinity of the upstream side of the impeller66 as described above. By this configuration, the optical sensor 100 aof the first air jet unit 100 detects the preforms P accumulated in theoverturned state on the rollers 63, and the air jet 100 c blows off theaccumulated preforms P toward the outlet guide member 150 according toan output signal from the optical sensor 100 a. Thus, the first air jetunit 100 can separate the accumulated preforms P from the conveyancepath of the preform alignment conveyance unit 39 and can prevent theplurality of preforms P from being accumulated in the mountain shape infront of the vicinity of the impeller 66.

Incidentally, the air jets 100 c, 200 c of the first air jet unit 100and the second air jet unit 200, and the preform detection mechanismsare installed so that positions can be adjusted. There are cases wherethe above method does not achieve an alignment processing capability asdesigned, but in this case, the positions of the air jet 200 c and thepreform detection mechanism may be adjusted and the preform P may beremoved by the second air jet unit 200 before the preform P reaches theimpeller 66. Since this can solve an accumulated state in front of theimpeller 66 due to the preforms P (particularly, the fitted statepreform P) in a misaligned state, an improvement in the alignmentprocessing capability can be expected.

Although the example of using the optical sensor having the lightemitting element and the light receiving element as one example of thepreform detection mechanism for detecting the presence or absence of thepreform P has been described, the preform detection mechanism is notlimited to this example, and may be, for example, a mechanism fordetecting that the preforms P accumulate in front of the impeller 66 bymeasuring the weight of the accumulating preforms P, or a mechanismwhich has a bar-shaped accumulation detection switch making contact withthe accumulating preforms P and detects that the preforms P accumulateaccording to switching of its switch.

FIG. 9 is a plan view seeing a coupled state of the preform alignmentconveyance unit 39 and the alignment guidance chute 80 from the upwardside. As shown in FIG. 9, the portion of the outlet end 81 of thealignment guidance chute 80 is coupled to the upper portion of the inletend 42 of the preform alignment conveyance unit 39 in an overlap state.Also, a plate-shaped member 101 having a slide surface on which thepreform P slides down is installed from the downstream side end of thegroove part 84 b of the sheet member 84 of the alignment guidance chute80 toward the gap between a pair of rollers 63. In the preform slidingdown along the inner wall surface of the groove part 84 b of the sheetmember 84 in a state in which the bottom of the trunk 35 faces therollers 63, the trunk 35 is guided to the gap between the rollers 63through the plate-shaped member 101. As the plate-shaped member 101, forexample, a flat plate made of a fluorine resin may be used. In addition,the upstream side end of the plate-shaped member 101 is arranged so asto be sandwiched between the alignment guidance chute 80 and the preformalignment conveyance unit 39, and FIG. 9 shows the sandwiched portion bya broken line.

Returning to FIG. 1, the reversing apparatus RM is coupled to thepreform alignment conveyance unit 39. The reversing apparatus RMincludes a first slide conveyor 45, a reversing unit 46, and a secondslide conveyor 47. The first slide conveyor 45 includes a slide surface48 inclined at a predetermined inclination angle. The slide surface 48includes an inlet end 49 and an outlet end 51. The inlet end 49 ispositioned at a position higher than the outlet end 51 in a direction ofgravity. The slide surface 48 is connected to the outlet end 43 of thealignment path 41 at the inlet end 49. The slide surface 48 extends, forexample, in one inclined plane. The slide surface 48 is divided into twopieces by an air gap extending from the inlet end 49 to the outlet end51. The air gap extends in the same width between the mutual edges ofthe slide surfaces 48. The edges of the slide surfaces 48 are defined bystraight lines extending in parallel mutually. A gap between the mutualslide surfaces 48 is set larger than an outside diameter of the trunk 35of the preform P. However, the gap between the mutual slide surfaces 48is that the flange 38 of the preform P is supported on the slidesurfaces 48. The trunk 35 of the preform P is hung from the air gap. Thepreforms P can slide down on the first slide conveyor 45 one by one inan upright posture.

The reversing unit 46 is coupled to the first slide conveyor 45. Thereversing unit 46 includes a rotor 52. The rotor 52 is rotated around arotary shaft 53 inclined at a predetermined inclination angle. Theinclination angle of the rotary shaft 53 of the rotor 52 is adapted tothe inclination angle of the slide surface 48 of the first slideconveyor 45. The preform P in the upright posture is supplied from thefirst slide conveyor 45 to the rotor 52. The preform P is temporarilyheld in the rotor 52 in a prescribed direction. When the rotor 52 isrotated at a rotation angle of 180°, the posture of the preform P isreversed.

The second slide conveyor 47 is coupled to the reversing unit 46. Thesecond slide conveyor 47 includes a slide surface 54. The slide surface54 includes an inlet end 55 and an outlet end 56. The inlet end 55 ispositioned at a position higher than the outlet end 56 in a direction ofgravity. The slide surface 54 is inclined at a predetermined inclinationangle at the inlet end 55. This inclination angle is adapted to theinclination angle of the rotary shaft 53 of the rotor 52. The slidesurface 54 extends along a horizontal plane at the outlet end 56.Consequently, the slide surface 54 is gently curved from an inclinedattitude to a horizontal attitude. The preform P in an inverted postureis supplied from the rotor 52 to the second slide conveyor 47. Thepreforms P can slide down on the second slide conveyor 47 one by one inthe inverted attitude. In this manner, the preforms P in the invertedposture are passed to an apparatus of the next step such as a blowmolding machine one by one.

As described above, according to the preform supplying apparatus 13 ofthe embodiment, the plurality of preforms P falling from the fall chute90 on the alignment guidance chute 80 slide down toward the groove part84 b of the sheet member 84, and the preforms P received in the groovepart 84 b slide down toward the outlet end 81 on the inner wall surfaceof the groove part 84 b. Since the groove part 84 b has a substantiallysemi-cylindrical shape and has the width of the extent to which onepreform is received while having a slight gap, the preform P slides downwithout colliding with (without interfering with) other preforms. Inthis case, a flow posture of the preform P is in a state in which thebottom thereof faces the outlet end 81 since the center of gravity ispositioned to the side of the bottomed trunk 35 than the mouth part 36.That is, the flow posture of the preform P sliding down tends to bealigned in a state in which the bottom side (the gravity center side) ofthe preform faces the downstream side. In this manner, the plurality ofmisaligned preforms P falling are guided to the preform alignmentconveyance unit 39 while the preforms P are aligned in a line and alsothe directions are aligned. In other words, the preform P sliding downis inhibited from being guided to the preform alignment conveyance unit39 in the overturned state.

In addition, the embodiment illustrates the preform P with thewide-mouthed shape, and illustrates the sheet member 84 having thesemi-cylindrical groove part 84 b slightly larger than the shape of themouth part 36 of the preform P, but is not limited to this example. Theshape of the groove part 84 b of the sheet member 84 may be a V shape ora recessed shape as long as the shape of the groove part 84 b is theshape in which the preform P can fall smoothly without interfering withother preforms P. Any material of the sheet member 84 can be used aslong as the material is the material in which the preform P can fallsmoothly without interfering with other preforms P.

Also, the embodiment describes the example in which the sheet member 84made of Teflon (registered trademark) is fixed on the plate-shapedmember 83 made of stainless steel and a part of the sheet member 84 isdownwardly bent along the groove part 83 b of the plate-shaped member 83to form the groove part 84 b, but is not limited to this example. Forexample, a configuration shown in FIG. 10 may be adopted.

An alignment guidance chute shown in FIG. 10 includes a pair ofplate-shaped members 184 (one example of a guide member) made ofstainless steel, and a sheet member 183 (one example of a guide member)made of Teflon (registered trademark) fixed to the end of the air gapside of each of the plate-shaped members 184 so as to close an air gapformed between the pair of mutual plate-shaped members 184. Each of theplate-shaped members 184 is inclined so as to become low toward the airgap side described above. Both ends of the sheet member 183 are fixed tothe plate-shaped members 184, and the portion for closing the air gapbetween the plate-shaped members 184 is formed in a downwardly bentshape.

The bent portion of the sheet member 183 is formed in substantially asemi-cylindrical shape to construct a groove part. A width of the airgap formed between the mutual plate-shaped members 184 is larger thanthe maximum outside diameter of the preform P but is smaller than twotimes the outside diameter of the mouth part 36. Consequently, insidesubstantially the semi-cylindrical groove part of the sheet member 183,one preform P is received while having a slight gap at both sides.Numeral 85 shows a support member 185 for supporting the sheet member183 from the back side (surface which does not make contact with thepreform P) of the sheet member 183. The alignment guidance chute shownin FIG. 10 is installed so as to become low toward the downstream sidein a conveyance direction, and its groove part is formed along aninclination direction. Even when the groove part is formed in thismanner, an effect similar to that of the embodiment described above canbe obtained.

Also, as shown in FIG. 11, a tape member 87 may be stuck on the frontside of the sheet member 84 of the alignment guidance chute 80 (sidemaking contact with the preform P) along the groove part 84 b of thesheet member 84. The tape member 87 could be stuck on the sheet member84, for example, from the inlet end 82 to the outlet end 81 of thealignment guidance chute 80 along a conveyance direction of the preformP. In this tape member 87, a plurality of long projections 87 aextending along the conveyance direction of the preform P are formed ata predetermined interval in a width direction of the tape member 87.

By forming the tape member 87 having the projections 87 a on the sheetmember 84, the area of contact between the tape member 87 and thepreform P being conveyed is decreased. As a result, the preform P can besmoothly fallen toward the outlet end 81. Also, by the plurality of longprojections 87 b formed so as to extend in the conveyance direction, thepreform P can be guided so that the bottom side (the gravity centerside) of the preform P is turned to the downstream side. Thus, it ispossible to suppress the preform P sliding down from being guided to thepreform alignment conveyance unit 39 in an overturned state. Inaddition, even in a configuration where the tape member 87 is formed onthe front side of the sheet member 183 as shown in FIG. 10, a similareffect can be obtained.

Also, a pair of rollers 63 of the preform alignment conveyance unit 39extends in parallel mutually, and a gap is formed between the mutualrollers 63, and the size of its gap is set so as to convey the preform Pwhile the rollers 63 pinch the trunk part of the preform P. Therefore,the rollers 63 can stably convey the preform P guided from the alignmentguidance chute 80.

Also, the plate-shaped member 101 having the slide surface on which thepreform slides down is installed from the downstream side end of thegroove part 84 b of the sheet member 84 toward a pair of rollers 63. Inthe preform P sliding down along the inner wall surface of the groovepart in a state in which the bottom thereof faces the side of therollers 63, the trunk 35 thereof is guided to the gap between therollers 63 through the plate-shaped member 101, and therefore the trunk35 can be smoothly shifted to a state where the trunk 35 pinched by therollers 63 and is conveyed.

Also, the fall chute 90 is installed at the upper side of the vicinityof the upstream side end (inlet end 82) of the alignment guidance chute80. The plurality of orientation pins 92 a, 93 a are arranged at thefall path of the preform P inside the cabinet 90 a of the fall chute 90.When the plurality of misaligned preforms P conveyed from the inclinedconveyor 57 pass through the inside of the cabinet 90 a of the fallchute 90, the preforms P fall while colliding with the orientation pins92 a or other pins. Consequently, in the case of collision, the preformsP in a stacked state can be fallen on the alignment guidance chute 80 ina state in which its stacked state is dissolved and the preforms Pbecome separate one by one.

Also, since a fall speed of the preform P becomes slow by collision withthe pins, a collision sound generated in the case when the preform Pfalls on the alignment guidance chute 80 can be reduced. Here, it is notnecessary that the orientation pins 92 a, 93 a should collide with allof the falling preforms P. For example, when the plurality of preforms Pin a state of being accumulated in a mountain shape are conveyed fromthe inclined conveyor 57, the plurality of preforms P in the state ofbeing accumulated in the mountain shape collide with the orientationpins 92 a, 93 a of the inside of the cabinet 90 a before falling on thealignment guidance chute 80. Accordingly, the preforms P could fall onthe alignment guidance chute 80 in a uniform and separate state to acertain extent.

Also, the preform alignment conveyance unit 39 has the first air jetunit 100 and the second air jet unit 200 in front of the vicinity of theupstream side of the impeller 66. When the preform P is conveyed in astacked state or in an overturned posture and is bounced off by theimpeller 66, the second air jet unit 200 can jet compressed air to blowoff the preform P bounced off toward the outlet guide member 150. Also,when the plurality of preforms P start to accumulate in front of thevicinity of the upstream side of the impeller 66, the first air jet unit100 can jet compressed air to blow off the accumulated preforms P towardthe outlet guide member 150 to prevent the plurality of preforms P frombeing accumulated in a mountain shape.

Thus, according to the preform supplying apparatus 13 of the embodiment,since it is possible to prevent a mass of the preforms P fromaccumulating in the middle of the conveyance path by a plurality ofmeans, even for a wide-mouthed preform P, the preform P can efficientlybe supplied to a machine for the next step such as a blow moldingmachine in an aligned state.

Also, as shown in FIG. 12, a cylinder mechanism 151 may be formed on theback side of the vicinity of the inlet end 49 of the first slideconveyor 45. The cylinder mechanism 151 has a pressing member 151 acapable of moving between a pressing position and a standby position.The pressing position is a position in which the pressing member 151 acan make contact with the preform P supported on the first slideconveyor 45. The standby position is a position lower than the pressingposition and is a position in which the pressing member 151 a does notreach the preform P. In the case of determining that the preform P hasclogged at the upstream side of the first slide conveyor 45 according toan output of a preform check sensor (photoelectric sensor) provided infront of the reversing apparatus RM, the cylinder mechanism 151 movesthe pressing member 151 a to the pressing position and presses thebottom, etc., of the preform P in a clogging state from the downwardside. Accordingly, it is prompted to clear clogging of the preform P.Also, in the case of determining that the preform is not clogged on thefirst slide conveyor 45, the cylinder mechanism 151 moves the pressingmember 151 a to the standby position.

By forming the cylinder mechanism 151 in this manner, it is possible toprompt clearing of the clogging state of the preform P in the vicinityof the inlet end 49 of the first slide conveyor 45.

Also, as shown in FIG. 12, a vibration mechanism 152 may be provided at,for example, the front side of the first slide conveyor 45 between theinlet end 48 and the outlet end 51. In the case of determining that thepreform P clogs on the first slide conveyor 45 according to an output ofa preform check sensor (photoelectric sensor) provided to the reversingapparatus RM, the vibration mechanism 152 vibrates the first slideconveyor 45. By this vibration, it is possible to prompt the clearing ofthe clogging state of the preform P on the first slide conveyor 45.Incidentally, the vibration mechanism 152 may always vibrate the firstslide conveyor 45 regardless of the output of the preform check sensor(photoelectric sensor).

Since the posture of the preform P being conveyed is changed on thefirst slide conveyor 45 for coupling the preform alignment conveyanceunit 39 to the reversing apparatus RM, the clogging state of the preformP tends to occur relatively. However, by providing at least one of thecylinder mechanism 151 and the vibration mechanism 152 to the firstslide conveyor 45 as shown in FIG. 12, it becomes easy to clear theclogging state of the preform P occurring on the first slide conveyor.Also, this is particularly effective as a solution of the clogging sincethe preform with a small flange diameter tends to clog at this region,that is, in the vicinity of a point of change in an inclination angle.

The invention is not limited to the contents illustrated in theembodiment described above, and can be properly changed withoutdeparting from the gist of the invention.

The present application is based on Japanese patent application: patentapplication No. 2012-099253, filed on Apr. 24, 2012, and the contentsthereof are hereby incorporated by reference.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND SIGNS

-   -   39: preform alignment conveyance unit    -   63: roller    -   66: impeller    -   80: alignment guidance chute    -   83: sheet member    -   84: guide member    -   90: fall chute    -   92 a, 93 a: orientation pin    -   100: air jet part    -   101: plate-shaped member    -   P: preform

1. A preform supplying apparatus comprising: an alignment guidance chutehaving a guide member that slides a plurality of preforms under theirown weight by inclination and guides the preforms to a preform alignmentconveyance unit; and the preform alignment conveyance unit that conveysthe preforms guided from the alignment guidance chute in an alignedstate, wherein a groove part along an inclination direction is formed tothe guide member and an inner wall surface of the groove part has ashape which causes the preforms sliding down inside the groove part tobe aligned in a line.
 2. The preform supplying apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the shape of the inner wall surface of the groove partis a semi-cylindrical shape.
 3. The preform supplying apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the preform alignment conveyance unit hasa pair of alignment rollers extending in parallel along a conveyancedirection, and the pair of alignment rollers conveys a preform whilesupporting the preform by pinching a trunk part of the preform guidedfrom the alignment guidance chute.
 4. The preform supplying apparatusaccording to claim 3, wherein the alignment guidance chute has aplate-shaped member on which a preform slides down from a downstreamside end of the groove part toward the alignment rollers.
 5. The preformsupplying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a fall chute, throughwhich a preform conveyed from a container that stores a plurality ofpreforms falls and passes, is installed at an upper side of an upstreamside end of the alignment guidance chute, and wherein the fall chute hasa pin that collides with the preform falling from an upper side.
 6. Thepreform supplying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preformalignment conveyance unit has an air jet part that blows off a preformin a misaligned state to an outside of a conveyance path of the preformalignment conveyance unit.
 7. The preform supplying apparatus accordingto claim 6, wherein an impeller that bounces off at least two or morepreforms, which are conveyed while being stacked, to an upstream side isinstalled to a downstream side end of the preform alignment conveyanceunit, and wherein the air jet part blows off the preforms bounced off bythe impeller to the outside of the conveyance path of the preformalignment conveyance unit.